Artificial bait and fishhook therefor



March 4, 1924; 1,485,643

P. B. STREICH ARTIFICIAL BAIT AND FISHHOOK THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20. 1922 March 4, 1924 1 ,485,643

P. B. STREECH ARTIFICIAL BAIT AND FISHHOOK THEREFOR Filed March 20. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 41, 192d.

insane earner @JFFHQE.

rant n. srnnron c, or Jenna, trainers.

, ARTIFICIAL BAIT AND FISHHOOK THEREFOR.

Application filed name so, .1922. Serial No. 545,105.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, PAUL B. S'rnnion, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Joliet, Will County, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful limprovements in Artificial Bait and Fishhooks Therefor, of which the following is declared to be a full, *clearfimd exact description.

This invention relates to artificial'bait and fish-hooks therefor, and its principal object is to provide artificial bait for fish-hooks which, when drawn through the water, will simulate very closely the movement of a live minnow or other live fish bait swimming in the water. It is well known that many anglers prefer live bait when casting or trolling, but when live bait is used for this purpose, it soon becomes injured and dies and thereupon loses its attractiveness to fish. ltn accordance with the present invention, 1 have provided a pliable or-fiexible bait body shaped to simulate a minnow or other fish; bait, and have mounted or secured said flexible bait body upon a" support (such as a fish-hook) in such manner that the body is bowed or curved tov one side of the median line of the fish-hook, whereby when the device is drawn through water the bait body, or its tail portion, will act as a rudder, there-' by tending to direct .the course of the bait body across the general line of travel, where by the resistance of the water upon the outwardly bowed side of the body will bend the flexible body back past themedian line of the hook, thereb reversing its action in the water, where y the body will cross the general line of travel in the opposite way. This will give to the bait body a movement simu lating very closely the movement of a minnow or other fish bait swimming through the water, thereby offering a greater attraction for fish, especially game fish. Another object is to provide artificial bait of thech-aracter described with means for deflecting it downward when drawn forward with greater speed than is ordinarily necessary, whereby the hook and bait may be caused to travel at a greater depth than when drawn along at a slower rate of speed.

With these and other objects and advan tages in view, this invention consists in an artificial bait, comprising a flexible or readil bendable bait body, secured at two spaced places, with its bod held in a bowed condition between said p aces, and capable of being readily displaced from one side of the head 15, w ich may be ma e or other buoyant material, and the head is suitable manner,

median line of itssupports to the other. The

invention further consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an artificial bait and fis hook therefor, embodying a simple form of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan showing the parts in a different position from that seen in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan showing the parts in a third position; 1g. 5 is a detail, vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing a slightl modified form of the said invention; Fig. is an end view looking in the direction of the arrow 7 in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a second modification of the invention; Figs. 9 and 10 are plan and side views, respectively, of a third modification of the invention; Figs. 11 and 12 are plan and side views, respectively of a fourth modification of the invention; Fig. 13 is a side View of a fifth modification of the invention and Fig. 14.- is a plan of a sixth modification of the invention.

Referring to said drawing, the reference character 10 designates a fish-hook of the usual and ordinary form, and 11 designates a fish line attached to the eye 12 of the fishhook. Above the shank or stem 13 of the fish-hook 10 is an artificial bait body 14 which may be shaped to simulate a minnow or any other form of live fish bait, and said body portion is made of flexible or pliable material, such asrubber, or light gauge sheet metal or other suitable material. The bait body portion is secured at two spaced places to the fish-hook 10, and the portion of the body between said two places of attachment is longer than thedistance therebetween, whereby the body assumes and remains in a bowed or curved position, as is clearly seen in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, but is capable of being forced from; one side of the median line of the hook to the other. In the form illustrated in F igs'. 1 to 5, the forward end of the bod of cork, wood,

shown as supported from an u standing arm 16, which is fastened to the fis -hook in any as for instance by winding wire or line 17' around one-end 16 of the arm 16 and shank 13 of the hook. Theupportion 10 is rovided with a embedded bait body portion per end of the arm 16 is formed with an eye 18 which is hooked into an eye 19 secured in. the forward end of the head 15 of the bait body. The rear end of the bait body, for instance its tail portion 20, is secured upon the hooked end 21 of the fish-hook, and, as a preference, ametal sleeve or ferrule 22 is in the material of thebooly and surrounds the hooked end oi? the fish-hook. This construction provides a reinforcement for the flexible body portion at its point of attachment to the fish-hook, and prevents an undue wear on said flexible portion. The barb 23 of the fish-hook projects over the top of the bait body, as shown. The two supports for the bait body are designed to permit free movement of the body thereon, whereby it may require but little resistance against the side of the bowed body to defleet it from one side of the median line of the hook to the other side.

Tn use, the baited hook may be drawn through the water in the customary ways. The angler may use it in casting or in trolling, in the usual manner. Preferably, the entire device is sufiiciently buoyant that it will float near the surface of the water, or, if desired, the weight of the parts may be made such that it will tend to sink deeply into the water. When the hook is in alignment with the fish line, as seen in Fig. i, the 14 will lie on one side or the other of the median line of the fish-hook. When the device is drawn through the water, the bowed bait body will act as a rudder for the device, tending to deflect its course to one side or the other of the line of travel. For instance, if the bowed body occupies the position shown in Fig. 4:, the bowed body will tend to cause the latter to turn across the general line of travel, in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. After the body portion has crossed or partly crossed the line of travel, the outwardly bowed side thereof (see Fig. 3) is moved against the body of water and the resistance produced will on use the body to be bent or deflected to the o her side of the median line of the fish-hook. In this position, it will tend to cross the line of travel in the direction of the arrow 7) Fig. 2, and when it has partly crossed said line of travel, the resistance of the water deflects the body back to the other side of the median line of the fish-hook. This continued movement of the bait body gives the moving body the appearance ot a live bait flapping its tail while swimming in the water.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the bait body 14; may simulate an angle worm. The body 14% is mounted upon or secured to two su ports, as before, and-that portion of the loo y between. the supports is owed. as in the preferred term. lln this case, the arm 16", which supports the forward end of the body,

extends up from the slit crosswise at a instance fish hook lO through an ward end of the body and its upper end is bent latterly as at 18*, to prevent accidental disconnection between the bait body and supporting arm 18 The rear end of the body portion is mounted on the hooked end 21, as in the. preferred form, and the tail port-ion 20 may extend back of said hooked portion for a considerable distance, if so desired.

A fin 24: may be provided at the forward end of the hook, which fin may be in the form of a flat piece of metal secured to the book by a piece of wire 25 soldered to the fin and fastened to the shank of the book by a piece of string or wire 17* which is wrapped around the wire 25 and shank. The fin extends forwardly and downwardly of the hook 10 and acts to deflect the course thereof in a downwardly direction. The result is that when the device is pulled along at a moderately slow speed, the bait will remain near the surface of the water but if drawn along at a considerably higher rate of speed, thedeclined fin will tend to submerge the bait to a greater extent. This fin may or may not be used in connection with the remainder of the device, but some anglers prefor to have the bait sink lower into the water when fishing for certain kinds of fish, and the fin provides a simple means for accomplishing this result.

The bait body portion may be shaped to simulate any well known bait, and may be made more alluring and attractive by the addition of glittering or highlv colored objects.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 8, both the head 15" and a part 20 of the tail portion are formed of buoyant material-such as cork, wood or the like and are connecte together by a bowed, flexible or pliable body portion 14". mounted upon a vertical post or stem 18 which is formed upon the end of an'arm 16 secured to the fish hooklO in any suitable manner, and the portion 20 of the tail is secured upon the hooked end 21 of the fish hook. A weight 26 is secured upon the shank or stem 13 of the fish book. The form just described provides artificial bait which when drawn through the water simulates the swimming movements of a small fish, and the buoyant portions 15", 20", tend to hold the bait up from the bed of a body of water, in case the weight is made suficiently heavy to carry the bait to the bed. Consequently, thebait will simulate swimming close to water.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 9 and it). the bowed flexible body 14: is secured at two spaced places upon the fish hook 10 and-in this case the body is shown as shaped to simulate a worm. The bait body is cut or large number of places,

very closely a live fish the bottom of a body of eye 19"" in the forlimb The head 15 .is rotatively Tilt) amas the cuts or slots extending in from the sides of the body and those on one side being arranged intermediate those on the other side. This not only provides a very flexible comparatively heavy or thick body, but the slits give the appearance of ribs on said body.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, the bowed flexible body portion 149 is secured upon the fish hook-10 at two spaced places, as before, and in'this case the body portion is shown as formed of separate blocksof materials 14* mounted upon pieces of string or wire la -that extend between and are secured to the post 18 and hooked end 21 of the fish hook. The blocks 14 may be made of cork or other buoyant material, if desired.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 13, the flexible bait body portion 14 is shown as mounted at one end on the hooked end portion 21? of the fish-hook 10*, the other end being secured upon the bail like member 149, which is mounted on a post 18 and has a limited amount of movement from one side of the median line of the hook to the other, thereby permitting the forward end of the bait body to swing or move from one side of the median line to the other.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 14, the bait body 14, instead of being bendable from side to side, is mounted upon the fish hook 10 in such manner that it is bendable in an up and down direction, and is capable of being deflected from an upwardly bowed position to a downwardly bowed one. In being drawn through the water, its body simulates the wiggling movements of, a

More or less variation of the exact details of construction of this invention is possible without departing from the spirit of the invention; I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to theexact form of the construction shown and described, but intend in the following claims to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait holding member and a flexible, normally bowed bait body portion secured in its bowed condition, at two spaced places, on said bait body holding member, and capable of being flexed to pass from one side of a line, passing through its points of securement to the other side thereof.

2. Artificialbait for fish-hooks comprising, a fish-hook, provided v'ith two spaced body holding members, and aflexible, normally bowed bait body portion secured in its bowed condition, on said body holding members of the fish-hook, and capable of being flexed to pass from one side of a line, passing through said place of securement, to the other side thereof.

3. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait body holding member, having two spaced body holding members, a bait body having a buoyant head and having a flexible, normally bowed portion secured in its bowed condition, on said body holding members, and capable of being flexed to pass from one side of a line, passing through said place of securement, to the other side thereof.

4. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait body holding member, a flexible, normally bowed bait body and tail portion secured, in its bowed condition, at two spaced places on said body holding member,

with its tail portion projecting back of its' point of support on said body holding member, said flexible bait body capable of being flexed to pass from one side of a line, passing through said places of securement, to the other side thereof.

5. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait body holding member, a normally bowed rubber body, and a head of buoyant material, said body and head being secured, at the front and back, to said bait body holding member.

6. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait body holding member, having a transverse arm, a flexible normally bowed bait body secured at one end on said arm and at its other end to a second arm on said holding member, and a ferrule embedded in said bait body and encircling said second arm.

7. Artificial bait for fish-hooks comprising, a bait body holder having two spaced body holding members, and a flexible normally bowed bait body connected to both of said body holding members, and normally deflected out of line therewith.

' PAUL B. STREIOH. 

